Here’s to Progress!

We again want to apologize for the delayed opening. We know we started our online footprint months ago with the assumption that we would open around January/February. We are especially sorry to those who bought gift cards around Christmas with the expectation of a winter opening. However, the good news is that we are now counting down to opening in weeks, not months. After a long build-out we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel! We will provide an opening date as soon as possible.

Other updates coming soon:

Food and Beverage Menu

Book Categories

Business Hours

Loyalty Club Information

Discounts

Ties within the Worcester Community

Thanks for your patience. We are working hard to make the café as great as you deserve.

If anyone is interested in working with Root and Press on book clubs, please reach out at rootandpress@gmail.com.

Please check out our website to connect to our community blog. We are on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We would love some new follows across all platforms! Thanks again!

Links

I want to highlight some of the most intriguing items I have come across the past month or so.

The most important piece of literature I have come across was Christian Lorentzen’s article in Harper’s titled “Like This or Die: The fate of the book review in the age of the algorithm.” (They give 1 free article, but paywall.) Lorentzen argues that multiple factors have diminished traditional book reviews, especially those that are critical of work. Instead, the system has been usurped by an online method of presenting lists upon lists of books tailored toward people’s interests and publisher advertising. While I think he overstates the degree that literature has resisted this change in comparison to other arts, he presents an incredible insider’s view of Big Book Reviews.

A great podcast I came across is “The History of English Podcast” by Kevin Stroud. Stroud looks at both the forest and the trees, intermingling the general history of English language development with episodes focusing on particular word sets. History lovers and logophiles alike will enjoy. I linked to the website, but I have found it on most podcast apps.

At Root and Press, we think it is important to do our part to reduce our ecological footprint as much as possible. We will be using glass, aluminum, and paper in place of plastic wherever we can, and the plastic and disposables we do use will be compostable/biodegradable. That said, as a community we need to focus on the aspects of our footprints that actually cause the most damage or we are simply virtue signaling to others while deluding ourselves into believing we are making an environmental impact. The Daily Coffee News highlights a study in the journal Marine Policy that underscores this point. TL/DR: individuals over-hype important but minimal impact causes such as the use of plastic straws because it is easier and more personal than confronting larger issues such as over-fishing, deforestation, and energy consumption.

The past few years has seen an intense revivals of the classics of dystopian literature (1984, A Handmaid’s Tale, Fahrenheit 451, etc.) as well as the rise in popularity of many young adult series. Brave New World is the latest to make the switch to the small screen (movies have been made).

The Trump Administration seems to devalue the role of libraries and sciences in our communities. They have proposed a budget that would cut the Institute of Museum and Library Services to: $0.00. Although the administration has sought to cut this budget the last few years, due to local action the funding for libraries is on the rise. If you want to reach out to your rep regarding this issue, click here.

Based on curiosity/demand of some in the business around Worcester, we have an idea of the next trend in milk.